What's Dawn Devouring Lately?
January 2026
January invites us to slow down. As the snow falls quietly outside and the days stretch long and cold, there’s comfort in cozying up indoors with a good book. Reading in January feels different seeming more intentional and more nourishing. It's a month to give ourselves permission to rest, reflect, and turn pages at an unhurried pace.
Until Next Month!
Happy Reading! 🍂🍁📚
A Guardian and a Thief By: Megha Majumdar
I’m so glad that my first book of 2026 was A Guardian and a Thief. Like many of Oprah’s picks, this novel is deeply thought provoking and leaves you asking, What would I do in this situation?
Over the course of seven days, readers are fully immersed in the lives of Ma and Boomba, following their intertwined stories as they struggle to protect their families from hunger, fear, and the harsh realities of climate change in India. Both characters are driven by desperation, yet their paths and motivations differ in striking ways.
As the week unfolds, the struggles of two families collide in this layered tale of hope and despair. One is chasing a dream that could save them, the other fighting simply to survive one more day. At times, you may find yourself questioning who is truly the thief and who is the guardian?
If you enjoy emotionally rich, thought provoking stories that tackle heavy themes and linger long after the final page, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 1/2 on the devour scale.
Heartwood By: Amity Gaig
This book generated a lot of buzz, not only because it was a Jenna Pick, but also because it appeared on many “Best of 2025” lists. I listened to it on audio and especially enjoyed the multicast narration, which brought the story’s many perspectives to life.
The novel centers on Valerie, a 42-year-old burned-out nurse who sets off to hike the Appalachian Trail in an effort to escape the pressures of her life. When her partner begins meeting her at various trail stops, he grows increasingly alarmed after she fails to arrive as planned.
The story unfolds through multiple points of view. We experience Valerie’s journey through the letters she writes to her mother while she is lost in the wilderness. Another perspective comes from Lt. Beverly, a park warden leading the search while grappling with her own family struggles. The third point of view belongs to a 76-year-old woman in a retirement community who unexpectedly becomes an armchair detective, aided by an online friend and his conspiracy theories.
As time runs out, the question becomes: will they find Valerie before it’s too late?
If you like books about self-discovery, a mystery to solve, and themes of motherhood weaved in, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩 1/2 on the devour scale.
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club By: J. Ryan Stradal
This year, I’m hoping to read more new-to-me authors while also tackling books already on my shelves and this one checked both boxes. I’ll admit it took me a little time to settle into the story due to the shifting points of view and multiple timelines in each chapter, but once I adjusted, I found myself really enjoying it. The novel centers on the multi-generational Prager family and their long running supper club in Minnesota. Woven throughout are themes of family, love, and loss as each generation steps into ownership of the supper club. If you enjoy character driven stories set in small towns, with generational trauma layered alongside changing corporate influences, this book is for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
The First Time I Saw Him (#2) By: Laura Dave
I both read and watched the mini-series adaptation of Laura Dave’s "The Last Thing He Told Me", so I was especially excited to dive into this sequel and it did not disappoint. I also highly recommend the audiobook format for this one.
The story picks up five years later, with Hannah and Bailey forced to go on the run once again after Owen suddenly reappears. This installment includes several flashbacks that explore how Nicholas and Owen became involved with the “Organization,” shedding light on the long reaching impact it’s had on their family. I really appreciated how these backstories helped fill in some of the gaps, I felt were left in the first book.
If you enjoy stories centered on forgiveness, second chances, and the strength of family bonds, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩½ on the devour scale and I’m already looking forward to watching the adaptation coming out February 20th on Apple TV+.
Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World By:Anne-Laure Le Cunff
This nonfiction book was a good one to start the new year off with. It was also my book club's selection that went along with our monthly theme of "Ease". The premise of the book is that we are taught to treat life like a checklist: degree by this age, career figured out by that age, house, retirement plan, five-year goals all neatly mapped out. Tiny Experiments calls that bluff. Instead of a straight path, it suggests life might be better approached as one big experiment.
This book makes a compelling case that uncertainty isn’t a crisis, it’s actually where growth happens. Rather than waiting until you’re 100% sure about a decision, the author encourages you to try small, low-stakes experiments to test what actually feels right. It’s less “What’s my life plan?” and more “What happens if I try this next?”
What really made this book stand out to me is how practical it is. It’s not just big ideas and inspiration, you’re guided to ask meaningful questions and design simple experiments in your own life. Along the way, you start to notice the “invisible scripts” you’ve been following and instead learn to be less afraid of imperfection, and get more comfortable making decisions even when things feel unclear.
If you are in a life transition, feeling stuck, or just wondering if there’s a more flexible way to move forward, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩 1/2 on the devour scale.
Rock, Paper Scissors By: Alice Feeney
If you watched and loved the newly released Netflix miniseries His & Hers, you might want to check out another novel by the same author.I read this book, back in 2021 and it earned a full 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 on my Devour Scale. Below is the summary from Goodreads.
"Think you know the person you married? Think again…
Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.
Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.
Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget."
The Housemaid (Movie in Theaters Only)
People We Meet on Vacation (Movie on Netflix)
Free-spirited Poppy (Emily Bader) and routine-loving Alex (Tom Blyth) have been unlikely best friends for a decade, living in different cities but spending every summer vacation together. The careful balance of their friendship is put to the test when they begin to question what has been obvious to everyone else, could they actually be the perfect romantic match? Watch Trailer Here
His & Hers (Netflix)
Two estranged spouses, one a detective and the other a news reporter, vie to solve a murder in which each believes the other is a prime suspect Set in Atlanta, Anna is a former news anchor living alone after withdrawing from her career and personal life. When she overhears news of a murder in Dahlonega, the small Georgia town where she grew up, the case jolts her back into action. .Watch Trailer Here
Emily in Paris - Season 5 (Netflix)
Emily in Paris follows Emily Cooper, an American from Chicago with a master's degree in communications, who moves to Paris for a new job opportunity. She is tasked with bringing an American point of view and social media presence to a venerable French marketing firm. Cultures clash as she adjusts to the challenges of life in Paris while juggling her career, new friendships, and active love life. Watch Trailer Here
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Movie on Netflix)
Wake Up Dead Man is the third film in the Knives Out series. A baffling death inside a quiet church draws Benoit Blanc into a tense investigation where faith secrets and suspicion blur as a close community turns against itself. Filled with a stellar cast and receiving 92% Rotten Tomatoes, this is my favorite Knives Out movie yet. Watch Trailer Here
The Read Carpet Report Podcast (New Episodes every Thursday)
The Read Carpet Report Podcast, hosted by Kirsten and Jackie, is your backstage pass to celebrity book clubs, where red carpet buzz meets real reader reactions. It’s a fast, fun weekly podcast on celebrity book club reads, book adaptations, and the hottest new releases.
Kirsten and Jackie are celebrating our nine-year partnership by venturing on this new way to share with you all the latests buzz, trends and favorite releases. We will meet you on the read carpet!
